Master and Commander, the Far Side of Ivalice
by Teh Healist
Summary: A war is brewing... an unstoppable force is coming... can one man stop it? Highly doubtful But if this one man has friends, then there is a chance... a chance that he can save Ivalice from a forgotten memory hellbent on destroying it.
1. Prologue

A/N: Okay, several things need mentioning before I start. First, if anyone sues me for copyright infringement stuff because my title is too closely related to "Master and Commander, the Far Side of the World", I will tear their head off. Where do you think I came up with the idea for the title? Now then… second, I decided to start this up because I'm just not getting much motivation to finish my Red Alert 2 story, so I'm putting it on hold and going ahead with another FFTA story. Anywho… Prologue… enjoy.

Master and Commander, the Far Side of Ivalice

The Coming Storm

Hatred. That was all Jeehr knew, and that was all he would probably ever know. He hated the "fabulous" and "illustrious" country of Ivalice, its flea-ridden residents, and most of all, its rotten royalty. Banished to God Knows Where for organizing an underground movement that never gained any momentum, Jeehr became a lost memory, a non-person. He hated it. However, Lady Luck seemed to smile upon the forsaken Ninja, as his small raft he was sent off on found land. Not only that, but it was inhabited by people… people like him. They kindly took the enfeebled Jeehr in, nursed him back to health, and let him roam freely and enjoy the beautiful country of Kryos.

Indeed, not only was Kryos beautiful, it wasn't all that different from Ivalice. People fought, used magic, joined clans, and never died in an engagement. Jeehr decided to join a clan himself, Clan Shadows. His skill as a Ninja soon made him the leader's right-hand man. Then, once the leader of Clan Shadows decided to "retire and enjoy the rest of his life peacefully", there was only one logical choice for leadership… Jeehr.

Through crafty diplomacy and masterful battling, Clan Shadows soon increased in size, gaining more and more clanners until its numbers were well over thirty. However, Jeehr didn't stop there, oh most certainly not. He persuaded other clans to be sub-clans to the almighty Clan Shadows. Within a matter of years, almost half of the warriors of Kryos were, in some way, connected to Clan Shadows. As you may have guessed, it wasn't long before Jeehr had more political clout than anybody else on the continent. Eventually, he managed to persuade the government on Kryos that the continent of Ivalice was a corrupt place indeed, ruled by a power-hungry prince and populated by foolish imbeciles who couldn't realize the truth about their situation. He also persuaded the government that Ivalice should be wiped out and conquered by Kryos, who could re-colonize the land and spread peace and fair rule to the destitute Ivalice.

With the government's permission, Jeehr transformed his clan into something worse, much worse… an army. The Ninja smiled to himself as his long subdued dreams of extracting revenge on the continent that banished him were finally being realized. He would make the prince and his buffoons pay… he would take Ivalice with the force of a Tempest and leave it in ruins, ready for Kryos to take. He would bring glory to what he considered his "homeland"… and death and destruction to his enemies.

Blood would most certainly spill in the coming year… and Jeehr would see to it that Ivalice would bleed, and not Kryos.

A/N: It's a prologue, so you can't expect much from it. As you can probably tell, there will be MUCH more action in this one than "How To". I mean, you can't get much more action that what you get in an intercontinental war, right? Anyway, more should be coming out soon… so yeah. I think I'll even write another chapter today (since I have time) and have it ready for you guys shortly.


	2. Union of Two Clans

A/N: Aherm… yes… now you can enjoy 1) A longer chapter, and 2) A chapter that has Phoenix. Oh yeah… forgot to put up that pointless-but-seemingly-necessary disclaimer in the first chapter, so here it is.

Pointless-but-seemingly-necessary-disclaimer: I own nothing except for my plot and any characters that are not in the original Final Fantasy Tactics Advance game. Everything else, setting and whatnot, belongs to SquareEnix.

A Union of Two Clans

Life was pretty good for Phoenix. No, seriously, it was. He had a great clan that respected him, he had a great friend, who also had a great clan that respected him, and he had a great Viera for a girlfriend. Actually, that last one isn't exactly true, but at least he was on excellent terms with Jullianne, and that was good enough for Phoenix. As long as Jullianne didn't hate his stinking guts, Phoenix could care less how his "relationship" was going with her. Sure, he'd try courting her again later… but not any time soon, and NOT with the help of a book.

"Phoenix, kupo?"

His thoughts were interrupted when his Moogle friend tapped him on the knee in an attempt to get his attention. Phoenix turned his attention away from the Master Bow he was considering buying as a "Welcome Aboard" gift for his clan's new Sniper. Even though Assassin's were great and everything, Phoenix had grown accustomed to operating with a Sniper on his team when he was in Clan Armageddon and had been longing to get one for Amor.

"Yeah Mack?"

"I saw Dave a while ago… he was looking for you, kupo."

"I'm assuming you saw him at the pub?"

"Kupo! How'd you guess, kupo?"

Phoenix smirked. "You can call it intuition. See you 'round, Mack."

Phoenix began walking through the streets of Cyril, making his way towards the pub and wondering why Dave would be looking for him. Maybe he had another potential clanner to recommend? Phoenix doubted it, since Dave was finally accepting new members for Clan Armageddon. Maybe it had to do with Jullianne, though Phoenix doubted the possibility of that, too. Unless some earth-shattering opportunity for Phoenix to make a move on the Viera had risen up, he knew that Dave wouldn't meddle in the situation between the two.

Whatever the reason, Phoenix was about to find out, as he had just reached the Pub and saw Dave inside.

He made his way through the noisy room towards the table in the back where Dave was sitting. Phoenix noticed, with a little concern, that the Fighter was alone at his table, although he seemed to be enjoying a glass of beer while he waited for… something. Phoenix figured that Dave had been waiting for him, which gave the Hunter reason to think that whatever it was Dave wanted to discuss it must be REALLY important.

Dave smiled when he saw Phoenix approach and motioned for him to sit down. Phoenix did so and Dave hailed a barmaid to get two more glasses of beer. He then turned his attention back to Phoenix.

"Phoenix, my friend." He smiled warmly. "It's been a while since I've seen you, although I've heard enough of you from Jullianne to cause my ears to fall off."

Phoenix raised an eyebrow when heard this. He had no idea Jullianne was chatty about him in front of others. Maybe this conversation WAS about her, but still… Phoenix highly doubted it. However, he decided to let Dave enjoy some small talk before cutting to the point.

"Oh? What about, may I ask?"

"Well, let's just say that she seems to have a lot of stories about your walks together." He smiled. "To be honest, I'm glad that she enjoys being with you. For the longest time, she was this dark loner in the corner… just watching the things that went on around her and not really doing anything. But when you came along… well…" He chuckled. "Let's just say that she became a bit more lively."

A small grin tugged on the edges of Phoenix's mouth when he heard this small revelation. "I'm glad I became a positive influence on her life."

Dave smiled. "As am I. However, that is not the reason I wanted to talk with you."

Phoenix nodded. He was fairly certain that was the case. He waited for Dave to continue.

"I was thinking… Clan Amor and Clan Armageddon are the two most powerful clans in Ivalice, correct?"

Phoenix nodded, noting that Dave had said Clan Amor before saying Clan Armageddon. The Hunter was briefly reminded that Dave's modesty was one of the reasons he respected the Fighter so much.

"Well, let me be frank with you. Even though it's fun to have a challenge in engagements now and then, even though I know we're friends and won't have hard feelings afterwards, I still don't like fighting your clan. It's like getting into an argument with a close friend, if you know what I mean. It… it sort of bugs me, actually."

Phoenix raised an eyebrow. He still had NO idea where Dave was going with this.

His friend gave another small, nervous chuckle. "I wanted to talk with you because… well, this has never really been done before, so it would kind of be an interesting thing to try out. I wanted to know if… if you'd be okay with joining our clan."

Both of Phoenix's eyebrows shot up in concern. What was he talking about, that this had never been done before? Many clans became sub-clans of others! And what made him think that Phoenix would be cool with being an subordinate to Dave? They were friends and all that, but Phoenix wasn't willing to give up his dignity for something like this. Besides, his clanners would NOT like the idea.

He was going to relay all this to Dave, but before he could say anything, the man put his hand up, silencing Phoenix before he even began on his tirade. Apparently Dave was able to see the blood boiling in his friend's veins.

"Phoenix, calm down. I'm not talking about making you a sub-clan. I just told you what I'm proposing has never been done. If you agree, we would be CO-leaders. You'd have the same amount of power that I do, and vice versa. You would keep control over all your own clanners, but also have control over mine. I would also have the same. In a sense, the only change would be we'd both have a bigger clan at our command. Does this all make sense to you?"

Phoenix, who by now had completely calmed down, nodded. The idea sounded intriguing. "What would the advantage in all this be?"

Dave laughed. "My friend, a bigger clan means a wider range of skills to choose from. You'd have access to more talent than you normally would in just your clan. Same with me, Phoenix. Besides," He smiled. "It might be fun to shake things up a little bit, y'know what I'm saying?"

Phoenix returned the smile, held out his hand, and said, "I know what you're saying. It's a deal, Dave."

Dave shook Phoenix's hand and said, "I'm glad you agreed to this, Phoenix. Now if you'll excuse me, I must be off to let my clan know the good news."

"And I need to tell my clan what I've just gotten them into."

Dave laughed. "You're a piece of work, Phoenix. You know that, right?"

A/N: Alright… so there you go. I managed to get a chapter up within a couple of weeks… record time for me. Well, review and tell me what you think.


	3. Preparations

A/N: Alright, I'm thinking I may alternate chapters between Jeehr and Phoenix… at least for a while. So… here you go.

Preparations

Jeehr was excited, and that would seem like an extraordinary event when you consider what Jeehr's mood usually is, but the fact that his excitement came from the prospect of slaughtering an entire nation tends to ruin the effect. Jeehr had finally approached the government of Kryos with his complete plans for domination of Ivalice, and they gave him the go-ahead. Now, all that Jeehr needed to do was set up his plan so he could put it in action…

He would need three good-sized water crafts to transport his main army. He would need some smaller "attack" vessels to bombard the shore when they reached Ivalice to make for an easier landing. Jeehr already had some Gadgeteers working on the cannons these "Destroyer" vessels would employ, and he was quite pleased with how the work was coming along. He would need three sub-commanders, people he could trust, to lead the three main bodies of his army. They could then sort out their troops into decreasing orders of rank for further leadership roles.

One thing he did not need for his plan was stealth. Yes, Jeehr would attack in the full view of daylight, confident that those idiots in Ivalice wouldn't be able to defend themselves even if they did see him quickly enough to scramble some defense. Jeehr smiled as his plan started coming together. This would be it. He would finally be able to wipe out those fools in power of Ivalice. He felt no remorse for the inhabitants, either. If they are foolish enough to live under corrupt rule, they shouldn't exist.

"General Jeehr, sir?" A Human soldier pulled Jeehr from his dark thoughts.

"Yes Selm? What is it?"

"We have some… ah… recruits who wish to speak with you."

"Is it urgent?"

"No sir. They would merely like a word with you before we leave for Ivalice."

"I suppose now is as good a time as any to see them. Are they available?"

"Yes sir. Right away."

"Good, good. Send them over."

The soldier swiftly left, and in a few minutes, a group of five Viera approached. The only armor they had on was a simple Survival Vest and a pair of Battle Boots, though they all carried various weapons. One was clearly a Fencer, Jeehr could tell by the shield. Another was a Summoner, and a third was a White Mage. The fourth was a Sniper, and the last an Assassin. They all wore a look that clearly said they meant business. Despite this, they were still respectful enough to give Jeehr a formal salute.

The Summoner spoke. "General Jeehr, we have a question for you."

"And I most likely have an answer."

"Do you have, or are in need of, an elite force?"

The question caught Jeehr completely off-guard, although it gave him the impression that these five just wanted a bigger slice power than the average recruit was given. An elite force? What was THAT supposed to mean?

"I'm afraid I do not understand your question."

The Summoner smiled. "General, we are a team of highly trained soldiers at your disposal…"

"As are most of my recruits. Your point?"

"We are excellent at operating alone. If you needed a small force of soldiers that can execute surgical strikes independent of your main army, we'd be what you are looking for."

This idea hadn't occurred to Jeehr. However, he was still skeptical. "What makes you so amazingly fit for this 'Commando' position, hmm?"

In the blink of an eye, they all had vanished… just like that. Jeehr threw his head back and laughed. "Ah, but of course! You are all trained as Snipers in conjunction with your other profession."

The vanished Viera team reappeared as quickly as it had vanished. Once again, the Summoner smiled. "Exactly. We'd be in and out of there… without a trace."

Jeehr shared the Viera's smile and held his hand out. "It's a done deal. Welcome aboard, ladies."

After the formalities were done with, introductions were made. The Summoner was Tamara, and she was the leader of the group. The Fencer was Karina who, if her boasts were true, could kill with a single swipe of her rapier. The White Mage was Melissa, who was a Master in White Magic. Tanaka was the Assassin, whose Ultima Masher never missed. Adrienne was the Sniper, whose sub-profession was an Archer.

"Very well, my friends. It is fortunate that you sought me out. I know see in full the advantage in having a team like you. If you are as successful as you claim to be, you will have my utmost respect. You may wish to prepare for the journey ahead, as we will be leaving soon."

Tamara nodded. "Understood, sir." And they were gone.

Jeehr turned back to his thoughts, extremely happy with what had just happened. Victory seemed more and more assured the closer time brought them to action.

Jeehr couldn't wait.

A/N: Short, I know. I just wanted to introduce you to the Sniper Squad and show you Jeehr is just about ready to depart. I will try harder to get the next chapter out sooner than this one (and to make it more interesting!), but for now… just bear with me.

Healie


	4. Early Warning

A/N: Hah… finally decided to start writing again. I was originally intent on scrapping this story (heck, I was originally intent on stopping my writing career for good), but inspiration struck me yesterday. So I guess I should thank my muse for smacking me on the head and telling me to get my lazy butt in gear. Anyway, here's a chapter for you, so that you may have a chance to post your flames and scathing comments about how rotten I am.

Early Warning

Not everyone in Kryos agreed with what Jeehr was doing. Many, in fact, feared that his campaign of imperialism might taint the purity of all that Kryos stood for. Some wished that somehow, some way, Ivalice could be warned of its impending doom. A few secretly wished that Ivalice would be successful in deflecting Jeehr's assault, hoping it would teach the power-hungry and revenge-mad Ninja a lesson.

Only one, however, actually did something.

An old Nu Mou Sage, upon hearing the public announcement of Jeehr's campaign, made preparations for passage to this Ivalice before the crazed Ninja could fully muster his forces. Borrowing an Airship from his Gadgeteer friend, the Sage spent the better part of a day in the air, looking for this continent of Ivalice. He eventually found it, and immediately set out to alert the government of the country. Jeehr had to be stopped, and he was going to make sure Ivalice had a fighting chance against the crazed lunatic.

"Ssso… if we're co-clanners with Clan Armageddon, what'sss going to be the name of the new joint-clan?"

Phoenix was in the pub with his clan, and he had just informed them of the deal he struck with Dave. His friends seemed a bit miffed that he made the decision without consulting them first, but they seemed to accept the fact that it was his right as the leader to make on-the-spot decisions. After a full explanation, they even seemed to like the idea. But Yuwain's question had caught him off-guard.

"Umm… Dave didn't discuss that with me. I'm sure he won't keep the name Armageddon, since that would make it seem like we really are a sub-clan. I'll discuss it with him later, before he makes the agreement publicly known."

"Fine with me. Just make sssure he does indeed come up with a new name."

Suddenly, the doors of the pub burst open and in staggered a Sage that seemed very out of breath.

"Help!" He wheezed, "I need someone to take me to the authorities of Ivalice!"

The pub was rather empty, so Phoenix approached the Sage and sat him down at a table.

"I think I can help you, sir. My name is Phoenix, and I'm the leader of one of the most influential clans in the country. What is your problem?"

"Oh, thank the gods for such luck! I have some dire and urgent news that the government needs to be informed of right away! Every minute wasted brings Ivalice closer to peril!"

Phoenix wasn't sure how he could get the Sage to Bervenia in the time frame that the Nu Mou was implying to be necessary. He knew, however, that a Judge could do it.

"Oi! Yuwain! Could hit Mack with an Astra for me?"

"But Techniques are forbidden today. Do you want me in jail?"

"I can bail you out later. We need a Judge here, and fast."

"… I hope you know what you're doing."

No sooner had Yuwain Blitzed the Moogle than a Judge appeared, drawing a red card.

"R6 Infraction against the law by Yuwain. Punishment: Jail."

After the Judge sent Yuwain to Sphrom in the blink of an eye, the Judge was about to leave when Phoenix quickly approached him.

"Sir! I need your help!"

The Judge turned to Phoenix and raised an eyebrow.

"The sole purpose of a Judge is to enforce the law and ensure the safety of the citizens of Ivalice. I can't help you."

The Sage spoke up. "Please! Ivalice is in grave danger, and I need to speak with the authorities as soon as possible."

The Judge paused for a second, pondering this. "This sounds like a hoax, but it is my duty to take any claim about Ivalice's safety seriously. What is the problem?"

"There is another continent across the sea known as Kryos."

"I have heard of it. Go on."

The Nu Mou seemed surprised that the Judge knew about Kryos. "Well, there is a Ninja who has gained considerable power in Kryos, and he seems to have a… vendetta against Ivalice. He has succeeded in persuading the government of Kryos to allow him to raise an army with the sole purpose of annihilating Ivalice. I left to warn your country as soon as I heard!"

The Judge pondered this for a moment. "Come with me."

Just as quickly as Yuwain had disappeared, so had the Judge and the Sage.

"Now… to go about getting Yuwain out of jail."

Babus scrutinized the Sage with a wary eye. This wasn't the first time some crackpot had made wild claims about the impending doom of Ivalice, and the doomsday prophecies never realized themselves before. Why should this one be any different?

"Have you any proof of your claims? Or any way to improve your credibility? Because right now, sir, I am having trouble believing your story."

The Sage looked Babus in the eye and spoke with the utmost solemnity. "Upon the Nu Mou Code of Honor, I tell you that these claims are true."

Babus was taken aback. The fact that this Sage even KNEW of the Nu Mou Code of Honor existed was startling enough, but the fact that he was using it to support his story was even more shocking. Simply put, any Nu Mou who invoked the Code HAD to be speaking the truth. The reason being was that if a claim supported by the Code was found out to be false… the one who invoked it faced a death far worse than any other known to Ivalice (and, apparently, Kryos as well). For this reason, Babus believed the words of the Sage to be true. No Nu Mou in his right mind would invoke the Code without speaking the truth.

"Very well… what must be done to prepare for the attack?"

A/N: You know, there was a time, before I created this account, when I used to write insanely long chapters for stories that I never published. The reason I never published them was because when I had my sister proof-read them, she always complained about how much the chapters rambled on and how boring they were because they seemed to have no end. So you should feel lucky that my chapters are short. With that said, I'll try to make them longer in the future.


	5. High Seas Adventure

A/N: Wow, I was planning on pumping this out several days after my previous update, but it never happened. I really need to see a psychiatrist about my laziness or something.

Right, one minor detail I'd like to clear up. Several people have asked if the Clan Shadows that Jeehr leads is the same Clan Shadow in the game (since the leader of the Clan in the game is a ninja, too). The answer: complete coincidence. I've never played the game through far enough to see Clan Shadows. Either that, or I don't remember it. Anyway, it's a 100 coincidence that I wrote about a ninja forming a clan named Clan Shadows. For serious.

High Seas Adventure

Jeehr was excited. Incredibly excited. So excited, in fact, that he actually felt happy for once. The final preparations for his voyage to Ivalice had been completed last night, and the plan was to set sail this morning. In other words, right now.

His fleet, he was proud to say, was truly a sight to behold. Three behemoths that would carry the main contingent of his forces across the ocean, fifteen assault ships that would soften the landing zone and engage in sea combat (Jeehr was certain they wouldn't be needed for that), four supply ships to make voyages to Kryos and back in the event of a prolonged conflict, and twenty landing craft to transport his army from sea to land. All the ships were masterfully crafted, and they were all armed and fully manned.

Before the sun had even breached the horizon, Jeehr was already giving the order for the ships to be loaded and prepared for launch. Fifteen hundred soldiers of all races and classes filed on to the main transport ships while ninety Gadgeteers made ready to pilot their beloved creations.

A good day for Jeehr indeed.

"General on deck!"

Two hundred hands immediately snapped to two hundred foreheads as two hundred soldiers crisply saluted General Jeehr. These two hundred were the finest of Jeehr's army, they were his elite vanguard, the ones that would lead by example for the rest of his army. They were the ones that would cause Ivalice the most pain.

Assassins, Illusionists, Black Mages, Time Mages, Dragoons, Paladins, Templars, and more all looked at Jeehr with the utmost respect and utmost loyalty, awaiting his command.

"At ease." The soldiers dropped their arms.

"Today, comrades, we embark on a war. Not just any war. A Holy War. The Gods of Kryos smile upon you this day, giving you their blessing to carry out their will."

There was a nod of assent.

"While many of you are rivals with each other and are in constant competition to prove who's the better man, today… we have a common enemy. Ivalice."

Another nod of assent. While many of them weren't sure why Ivalice was so evil, they were fairly certain that if something had the ability to transform a man so much that he was hellbent on revenge, it couldn't possibly be good.

"The government of Ivalice is corrupt. It changes the laws of the land with each passing day, expecting to follow these fickle laws to the letter. If not… incarceration. Yes. If some poor Fighter is caught in a battle on a day when Blades are forbidden, he is a doomed man. Or if a Black Mage finds himself defending his home where Area Damage is disallowed, he has no hope."

Murmurs of surprise spread throughout the ranks.

"Worse than that, the rulers of Ivalice, those whom the oppressed people are forced to please, spend all their lives shut up in their isolated Palace, completely disconnected from the rest of the country. If a plague manages to destroy the crops of the land, the royalty still holds fabulous feasts every night. If a rebellion breaks out and ravages all of Ivalice, the Palace remains untouched. These people have no sense of reality, of what goes on in the world, and THEY are the ones who RULE an entire NATION!"

Outright indignation showed itself on the faces of Jeehr's two hundred elites.

"THIS, my comrades, is why we must, yes, MUST bring down the tyrannical rule that has an iron grip over Ivalice! And those fools who choose to stand in our way… will be destroyed."

Those who had doubts as to why they were waging war on Ivalice now saw Jeehr's reasons with crystal clarity, and they were motivated to carry out his revenge.

By now, the water crafts were going full steam ahead, and the soldiers eagerly awaiting the hour of battle with Ivalice. Unfortunately for them, a small roadblock stood in their way.

"General Jeehr, sir! Shallow reef spotted ahead! Orders sir?"

"How wide is it? Would it take long to go around the shoal?"

"It stretches out as far as the eye can see, sir. There's no telling how long it will take to circumnavigate the reef, sir."

"Alright, send some of the smaller ships ahead to see how deep it is. We'll decide how to proceed from there."

"Aye, sir."

After a few soundings made by several of the destroyer ships, it was deemed safe for the three carrier vessels to pass over the shoal. Nonetheless, the fleet proceeded with caution, with the smaller crafts going ahead and scouting out the route that offered the most distance between the surface and the reef. It all seemed to be going rather well, when disaster struck.

KRUNK!

One of the carrier ships ran aground against… something. The Gadgeteers were stunned: their comrades depth soundings had read this area as plenty deep for the ship to pass through.

KRUNK!

Something else became imbedded in the ship, even though it was immobile. This greatly concerned Jeehr, who had already given the order for the fleet to come to a complete stop.

KRUNK!

Inanimate objects don't ram themselves into immobile vessels. Something was latching on to the ship below. Something living.

KRUNK!

"ALL CRAFTS, MAKE READY FOR BATTLE!" Screamed Jeehr. The order was sounded throughout the fleet. In addition, the communications Gadgeteer on Jeehr's craft was receiving reports from the other two carrier vessels of similar events of something crashing into the vessels.

By this time, a giant claw raised itself over the side of the craft and latched on to the side, hoisting over the top the main body of a giant, wicked-looking crab. The monster looked like some kind of ancient beast of legends. It seemed to be made of pure white marble with purple runic figures splashed across its claws, legs, and body. The main carapace looked virtually impenetrable. Two devilishly-red eyes glared out of an incredibly small opening where the top carapace met the bottom.

The entire crew took an involuntary step backward as the beast finished its climb over the deck. With two deadly claws, four pairs of sharp-tipped legs, and glowing purple runes all over, the crab monster looked like it crawled out of the depths of Hell itself.

Jeehr turned to the Moogle next to him. "I want a Gadgeteer crew below decks to examine the damage the beast did to the portside of this vessel. If we start taking on water from holes punctured by the crab, it doesn't matter if we kill him or not, we're as good as dead."

"K-kupo. Y-yes sir, kupo."

The ninja glanced over at the other two ships, and saw that they were forced to deal with similar monstrosities: One had a giant marble squid, and the other had a giant marble sea lizard.

"Hold your fire. Black Mages, wait until my command, then simultaneously hit it with Thundaga. Illusionists, at the same time, cast Tempest. Time Mages, see if you can Stop it, or even Slow it. If that fails, Haste or Quicken our Black Mages. All melee units, stay away. I don't want anyone near those claws. If you have any ranged abilities, use them. Paladins, Cover our mages. If that thing does get in range to do some damage, you have a better chance of taking a beating. White mages, I want you on hand for Full-Life." Murmurs of acknowledgement rippled throughout the crew on deck.

The monstrosity took a step forward. Everyone took a step back. It took a second step forwards, but the action didn't exact a repeat response from the soldiers.

"HIT IT!"

About twenty separate Thundagas, fifteen different Tempests, ten different Slows and Stops, and a medley of ranged Ultima attacks struck the marbled crab simultaneously. The air practically crackled from the high voltage. When all the electric and ultimate death dissipated, the crab was still there, seemingly unphased, and definitely not Slowed or Stopped.

"My god… how the hell do you beat this thing? HUNTERS! I need some Advice, right now!"

The Crab lashed out with its hammer-like claw and smashed one of the Paladins covering a black mage. The Paladin was left unconscious.

A Hunter ran up to Jeehr. "Sir, I'd say our best bet is to aim for the eyes. Since they are from within the carapace, I'd say there's a chance they are not made of the same invincible material as the shell."

"Worth a try. Give the order to all Archers, Hunters, and Snipers to fire arrows at the beasts eyes. Archers use Blind Shot, Hunters, Sidewinder, and Snipers hit it with Beso Toxico. On your mark."

"Very good, sir."

The KO-ed Paladin was quickly brought back to Full-Life by one of the ready White Mages, as the deck crew readied for another strike by the Crab. It lashed out once more, this time aiming for a Thief, who deftly dodged the blow. The Crab raised its claw again, ready to strike, when Jeehr heard a shout.

"RANGERS FIRE!"

A stream of arrows raced towards the two beady red eyes of the Crab. While many missed their mark and bounced off the surrounding shell, several arrows did penetrate into the opening. The Crab let out an ear-splitting shriek, madly trying to use its claws to grab at the arrows. It staggered to one side, then to the other. It was obvious that the arrows had hit a weak spot. The beast began lashing out randomly, blinded by the Archers' arrows.

"Everyone! Stay out of range! Bowmen, continue firing! I want Snipers to keep pounding it with Beso Toxico, and Hunters to use Sidewinder. Archers, use whatever you feel fit, but make sure you use common sense in your choices!" He didn't want them to be using things like Aim: Arm or Aim: Leg when they were shooting for the eyes. Then again, Jeehr was certain his troops were smarter than that.

Volley after volley of arrows streaked towards the Crabs eyes, with Gunners joining in shortly there-after. The monster screamed louder and louder with every fusillade. After a few minutes, the beast collapsed on the deck, finally dead.

"I want a status report on the damage done to this ship, and I want it now. I also want to know the status of our other two carrier crafts."

"Aye, sir."

Within an hour, all of the marbled beasts were defeated, although the Carrier crafts had suffered heavy damage. Not wanting to risk another attack in the reefs, the Ninja ordered the smaller crafts to tow the three larger ships to safety. Then, and only then, would full repairs commence.

It seemed as though Ivalice was spared of its impending doom… at least for one day.

A/N: There you go. A somewhat-longer chapter, and some action to go with it. Hopefully summer will lead to faster chapters, but I'm not sure. 


	6. 6: Make War, Not Love

A/N: I was bored, and I had nothing else to do, so I finished a chapter.

Make War, Not Love

A notice was posted in every town, on every corner, and in every pub. It was the exact same notice on every posted location, and they read as follows:

'Urgent notice to all citizens of Ivalice! The Palace has heard from reliable sources that our country is facing imminent and extreme danger! A far away nation is planning to launch a full-scale war against Ivalice, and is en route even now. All citizens are to report to the nearest Palace Guard Recruitment Center to help defend your country.'

That was exactly where Phoenix and his Clan found themselves… at the Cyril Recruitment Center. Unfortunately, it seemed like half the population of Ivalice was also there. The place was very crowded, very noisy, and very confusing.

After a few hours of milling about in boredom and annoyance, a moogle representative of the palace appeared. At first, no one noticed him, and the loud chattering in the hall continued. The rep tried his best to get the crowd's attention, but to no avail. Phoenix rolled his eyes and warmed up his lungs.

"HEY EVERYONE! HOW ABOUT SHUTTING UP AND LISTENING TO THE GUY TRYING TO GET YOUR ATTENTION?"

The chattering swiftly died down and all eyes turned on the moogle. Or, as many eyes as possible, seeing as how the moogle wasn't very tall and therefore easily obscured.

"Thank you, kupo. Now, to business. The Palace has decided that putting all of our kupo combatants into one group and using that to fend off the attack would be very ineffective, kupo. Instead, kupo, it has been decided that there will be five divisions, kupo, one for each city, and Ivalice will have five fighting forces to defend itself instead of one, kupo."

A wave of agreement spread throughout the crowd.

"As you have probably guessed, you will all be part of the Cyril division, kupo. It is up to you how you wish to organize your division, kupo. Perhaps you wish to keep your various Clans together and have sub-divisions according to Clan, kupo. Or maybe you'd like to adopt a more militaristic system to face the oncoming assault, kupo. Whatever the case may be, you need to decide relatively quickly, kupo, so I can report back to the Palace and inform Master Babus of your decision, kupo."

With a curt bow, he stepped back and waited for the decision-making to commence.

Nothing happened.

There was dead silence for a full minute before Phoenix rolled his eyes (again) and stepped out into the empty space that the moogle had just left.

"You guys, he said we had to make a decision relatively quickly. Standing in dumb silence does not constitute speed. Now can we PLEASE start working on a decision."

A Nu Mou from the crowd spoke, "Since you seem to know what you're doing, why don't you help us along, hmm?"

Phoenix shrugged, "Fine by me. Just as long as we come to a decision we can all agree upon. Alright, so let's consider the first possibility: organizing the division according to Clans. Would that be a good idea?"

Quite a few murmurs of assent came from the crowd.

"Alright, well let's think about this. If we were split up by Clans, and the combat started, do you think you could work cohesively with other Clans in our division, or would you just help your clan-mates out? Because when the fighting gets heavy, everyone is going to need everyone else's support."

Phoenix could only hear one or two people say something resembling a "yes".

"Alright, so maybe Clan division isn't such a good idea. Maybe the representative's suggestion of adopting a more militaristic organization is a good idea."

"Ivalice has never had an army before, kupo! Why should we start now?"

Phoenix raised an eyebrow. "Maybe it's because if we don't find an effective way to fight this new enemy of ours, there won't BE an Ivalice by next week."

The moogle had no comment for that.

"Alright, so let's say we do decide to organize a mini army of Cyril. We'll need a Commander, Officers, and a subsequent chain of command, right? Who wants to be the Commander?"

A massive uproar of yelling and raising of hands ensued. It took Phoenix a full five minutes to get them quiet again. "Let me rephrase that… who thinks they are capable of handling all the pressures of organizing and ordering one-hundred, maybe more, soldiers around and thinking quickly on their feet to handle any and all problems that may (and will) arise? Who thinks they are capable of willingly sending their friends on dangerous missions, perhaps to their death? Who thinks they are capable of sending Cyril's forces against a foe that clearly has a deep-seated hatred for Ivalice, and will stop at nothing to see us all dead?"

Silence.

"This isn't an engagement, my friends. You don't get resurrected after the match, and have a good laugh with your friends at the pub afterwards. It's like fighting in a Jagd: our foes will make sure there's nothing left of us to put back together when they knock us out. Once you're down, you don't get a second chance… unless you're lucky. We need someone who's able to think on their feet to keep as many of us alive as possible while putting together a rock-solid defense of our country."

"Maybe that should be your job, kupo."

It was the same moogle, but he didn't say it in a mocking tone. He seemed to be quite serious. Phoenix, however, thought it was a joke, and laughed.

"Me? You can't be serious."

"I am, kupo. You're the leader of one of the most kupo clans in Ivalice, are you not? Kupo, Clan Amor is rivaled only be the abilities of Clan Armageddon, kupo. And since Armageddon seems to be elsewhere, kupo, what better person to lead us than you?"

A quiet murmur of assent rippled through the group.

"Alright. Fair enough. I'll be your Commander. You're all okay with that?"

Phoenix saw nods of agreement all throughout the crowded center.

"Now that we have a leader, how do you want to organize our forces?"

"Sssir. I have an idea, if I may."

"Go ahead, soldier."

"Inssstead of clans, we should have sssmall sssquadrons of fighters, ssspecialized in one thing or another. Asss a result, you would have ssspecialized groups for you to use for ssspecific tasks."

Phoenix thought about this for a moment. It WOULD be helpful to have a group of stealth Viera to get in and wreak havoc, or a squad of tanks, most likely Humans and Bangaa, to absorb damage for their weaker teammates.

"I like this idea. It would allow for a very mobile and flexible fighting force. So let's figure out how we're going to divide ourselves up…"

In a relatively short span of time (relative being the key word in that statement), Phoenix and the rest of Cyril's battle force had been divided according to specialty:

There was a Tank Squad comprised of Paladins, Defenders, Moogle Knights, and a few Morphers.

The next sortie was a melee damage-dealing group made up of Warriors, Fencers, Soldiers, Gladiators, Dragoons, and Fighters.

The Mage Battleforce was, obviously, composed of every magical class available, along with Morphers equipped with Flan souls.

An Evasion Group was composed of classes with the best avoidability: thieves, jugglers, and ninjas.

Assassins would have been included in that group, but they were part of the Stealth Division along with most of the Snipers.

The rest of the Snipers, along with the Hunters, Gunners and Archers made up the Ranger Team.

Templars, Alchemists, and Animists were part of a Support Squadron.

Beastmasters were in their own group, with their objective being to tame wild animals on the battlefield and send them rushing into the enemy.

There would be no Gadgeteers, as they would be FAR too risky.

An important sub-group of the Mage force would be the healing classes. White Mages, Bishops, and even Red Mages (Doublecasting Cure would undoubtedly be a big help).

After the groups were organized, and each had its own miniature chain of command, the Moogle Representative took his leave to give his report to Babus, promising to return as soon as he could with battle orders for Cyril's newly-created Task Force.

He had assured them there would be plenty to do in the days to come.


	7. A Kink In The System

A/N: I'm sure if I crunched numbers and calculated the average turn-around time between posts, one month would be considered "faster-than-average".

A Kink In The System

It took Jeehr's technicians three days to finish repairs on the transport vessels. That was three days in which he had to wait before he could ransack and ruin Ivalice. It was three days in which his army had time to lose momentum and second-guess the importance of their mission. Jeehr didn't like that. Not at all. So even though only the gadgeteers were qualified to do the actual repairs on the ship, he gave his Moogle engineers absolute command over the rest of his soldiers to carry out menial tasks and retrieve supplies for them. It kept his troops busy, and it sped up the process of repair.

When all was ready to continue on their journey, the ninja breathed a quiet sigh of relief. With thoughts Ivalice and the war ahead in the minds of his troops, he was certain insubordination would not be a problem. After all, he knew that his army realized insurrection at sea, days from Kryos, with war against another nation imminent, would b e foolish. It would only be another day or two before they finally reached Ivalice, so what good would it serve to start a small civil war? With Jeehr's fears of internal struggle put to rest, his mind turned to other thoughts. There was still work to be done.

Every evening, he met with his top officers and Lieutenants to organize the invasion of his army. It was decided that he would split his offensive force into five separate groups, one for each city. He would have a small skeleton crew to keep watch over the ships in the event that the defenders of Ivalice got smart and attempted to cut off Jeehr's only means of retreat.

And so as repairs were made, and the sails were eventually set once again for Ivalice, Jeehr's evenings were spent going over battle tactics, strategic formations, attack routes, and the like. By the time that Jeehr's flotilla could sight land, his troops had their specific instructions and attack routes all but memorized. Unfortunately, there was more in store for them before they would get the chance to land, as they would find out rather quickly.

When the first call of "land ho!" was let out by one of the watchmen, most of the army started cheering. Finally, it was time for battle! The wait was over, and now they could carry out Jeehr's War against the oppressive country of Ivalice! It was only minutes afterwards, however, when another, more confused call came down from the scouts above. A fairly large formation of ships was assembled by the beachhead, and it seemed to be battle-ready. A few minutes later, and a closer look at the beach itself revealed defensive formations present there, too. It was impossible for such preparations to be thrown together in any timespan that was less than at least a day or two, and Jeehr doubted that Ivalice always kept a battle-ready fleet sitting around doing nothing.

Ivalice had known.

The thought stung Jeehr. Some way, somehow, Ivalice had found out about Jeehr's plans and put together this defense force to meet him. Someone from Kryos must have let them know, and this enraged Jeehr. How could someone possibly feel pity for these fools? No matter… what was done was done. No sense in crying over spilled milk. There was work to do.

Jeehr whispered his Communications Officer, "Get our ships battle-ready. We will be hosting some… guests soon. I want our attack force ready, and I want it ready fifteen minutes ago."

"Kupo, yes sir." The moogle saluted and scampered off to transmit the message.

"This does not bode well…" Jeehr muttered to himself. Much of his plan rested on the element of surprise. If Ivalice had managed to throw together this early defense at sea… what did they have in store for him when he managed to break through and land?

What if his war failed?

He shuddered and quickly brushed the thought away. Such idle thinking would be the death of him and his army. He had an army to worry about at the present, along with an opposing force that was apparently ready to meet them.

But how did it happen? How did someone possibly slip off of Kryos without anyone noticing? And how did the snitch manage to get Ivalice organized so quickly? Surely the Royal Court would have brushed him off as a raving lunatic. Who on Ivalice would believe that there was another country, let alone another country mobilizing to attack them? And if they did believe him… the only way a defense could be assembled swiftly would be with the universal cooperation of the whole populace. In Jeehr's experience on Ivalice, such a feat was impossible. The Clan Wars were too fierce for anyone to care about anyone else except for their fellow clanners.

And yet it happened. Something slipped into place for Ivalice, and out of place for Jeehr. Something had gone wrong, and Jeehr couldn't figure out how or why. As hard as he tried to ignore them, fears of failure slipped into his mind. They invaded his thoughts, and broke into his confidence. Surprise… an aspect of the assault that he had been depending on so heavily… was now taken away. It was like a blow to the stomach. Fear was something Jeehr was not used to, and it was something he did not like.

How had it happened?

A/N: cringe I got absolutely nothing done in that chapter except show that Jeehr is afraid. I wanted the water fight to be viewed from the perspective of Phoenix, not Jeehr, and so I had to stop before the battle commenced. I'm kinda mad at myself right now.


End file.
